Critical Role - Blood and Brine
by whoeverIamloves
Summary: Critical Role - Mighty Nein! Campaign 2 fanfic. Fjord is hit with a blood curse, and Molly has an idea how to save him. (No real spoilers, but might make more sense after watching Episode 14.)


A Critical Role: Campaign 2 fanfic. (No real spoilers, but might make more sense after watching Episode 14.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing and get no money for this, only enjoyment.

Disclaimer 2: I don't fully understand the Blood Hunter class, but my first read of the class pdf and some of the backstory we just heard in Episode 14 inspired this little picture in my mind, and I do so love vivid snapshot-type vignettes!

* * *

"It's not working!" Jester cried as she poured another healing spell into a semi-conscious Fjord. "I think he's really going to turn into water!"

The half-orc's normally green-tinged skin was soaked with exertion and salt-water – the force of that last blow had dissipated his pact weapon, shattering it into a bucket's-worth of seawater that splashed back down onto him.

"No. No! He's not. He's not gone yet." Molly's voice echoed around the cavern with a strained calmness. "I might have an inkling of an idea. It's not great, but it may be the best shot." His boots tapped briskly across the damp stone ground, long ostentatious jacket flapping in his wake. "Put him over here, and let's get his armor off. Caleb, Jester, I'm going to need water and salt, as much as we have."

"What's your plan?" Caleb inquired. His bright orbs hovered, slightly jittery, over Yasha and Beau as they dragged Fjord deeper into the cavern. "Do you have some mysterious healing powers we don't know about?"

"No, I'm not a healer, but I do know something about blood curses. As long as his blood stays the way it is, Cisco's blood curse is going to keep affecting him. That's kind of how they work."

"So what, he's dead then?" Beau asked, starting on the shoulder buckles as Yasha took on the side fasteners.

"We should go after her. If we neutralize her, then her curse stops," Yasha suggested, then scowled. "But there's no guarantee we catch her in time."

"In fact, I think it's a safe bet that we would definitely NOT catch her in time. She's already gone," Caleb answered before turning back to Molly. "So you're proposing…some kind of transfusion?"

Beau spoke up. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that just spread his blood a little thinner?"

"You're both right. We'd never catch Cisco in time; she specializes in getting away. And a simple transfusion isn't enough; Jester's given me an idea. I'm going to try to actually change his blood."

Nott, who was helpfully struggling to pull off one of Fjord's boots, spoke up. "Change it to what? He needs blood! Bodies don't work without it!"

"And we're really short on time." Jester's tail snapped back and forth as she spent yet another healing spell. "Whatever she did to him, it keeps draining him as fast as I can heal him! And I'm almost out of spells!"

Yasha and Beau almost had Fjord's armor off by now, leaving him in his soaked plain white shirt and brown trousers.

Molly rolled up his sleeves and drew out the dagger Nott had loaned him.

"Open his shirt."

He pulled the dagger down his own forearm and angled his palm to catch the flow of crimson that immediately began to seep from the long, deep cut, muttering the words to enact the Blood Curse of the Transfusion before continuing.

"I have some idea how to do a certain…thing…that should make him immune to Cisco's particular Blood Maladict and certain others, but there's no guarantee that it'll work. I'm really just going on instinct here."

"I don't think we have any other options," Caleb said, pulling out his water flask. "What are the risks?"

"So many."

Molly dropped to his knees beside Fjord, who seemed to be in a fitful state of discomfort, held right on the brink of unconsciousness by the tug-of-war between the curse currently ravaging the contents of his veins and Jester's healing efforts. His face and throat shined with both seawater and perspiration, and when Beau tore the center of his shirt open and spread the fabric apart, his torso had the same damp sheen.

"I need two different cups. Water and salt in both. Quickly."

With Fjord's armor now laid aside, all the party members started digging through their supplies. Several water flasks were found, as well as a few mess kit mugs and several small blocks of salt from the rations and medicine kits. Yasha and Caleb both began crushing the salt in two of the mugs, while Molly grabbed a third mug and directed his own blood into it.

"To answer your question, Caleb: There are two main risks. The first is that this won't work, in which case he's no worse off than he would have been anyway, which is just simply dead. The second is that even if this does go well, the process could still kill him because I have to cause him some pain while he's already in such a bad state. Jester, have you got one last big healing spell?"

"You mean after this one?" Jester asked as she finished casting another spell. "Yes, I have just one left, a big one. And we have one healing potion."

"Good. Hold the big spell and get ready to use it on my mark. Keep the potion and one of the flasks of water for afterwards."

Molly took a freshly mixed cup of saltwater from Caleb and poured his own blood into it from the third cup. He swirled it around to mix it, then handed it to Beau.

"Pour this down his throat at the same time Jester does her healing spell. We're going to give him a boost right before I do my thing, because my thing is going to hurt him. Then once I'm done, Jester, you feed him the healing potion, and we hope that whatever entity gives him his power is watching and willing to give an extra little magic 'push' to the process, and that he's strong enough to come out alive on the other side."

Jester nodded, and everyone looked at each other. "I'm ready when you are. The next surge of the curse is probably coming soon!"

"And hopefully we don't actually change him too much."

Molly carefully tightened his grip on the hilt of the dagger in his palm and pulled the blade through the path of red still on his own forearm, coating both edges. After just a few seconds, Fjord's breath hitched and it was just as Jester had predicted – the next surge of the curse seemed to drain him of what little strength he was holding onto.

"Now. Do it now," Molly said, and Jester released her last healing spell into Fjord's form. Beau also lifted his head ever so slightly, and while he coughed and choked a bit, he was able to drink down most of the mixture she poured into his mouth.

"Wha- What's…" Fjord's eyes clarified for just a moment with the surge of healing energy, and Molly planted one still-bloody hand on his friend's exposed chest, using the other hand to position the tip of the dagger.

"Trust me, this is going to hurt but I swear it's for your own good," he said, and before Fjord had a chance to process the information, Molly was carving deep fresh red lines into the green skin in one continuous twisting penstroke, muttering words that nobody could quite make out. Within a matter of seconds, Fjord was clenching his teeth and straining against the pain of the pattern beginning to take shape on his torso.

After a few more seconds in which the only sounds were strained breathing and the soft jingle of horn-earrings, Molly's design became clear: Outlines of red waves began to twist and curl and foam across Fjord's chest and ribs, covering as much area as possible in the limited time Molly knew he had. An elegant red fish and a whimsical red boat also appeared, cradled by the basic pattern of the red surging sea.

"Don't worry buddy, you can get this filled in nice and neat and intricate later," Molly muttered under his breath. "That's what tattoos are for."

Another surge of the curse left Fjord weaker, and then another. Molly gritted his teeth and traced the dagger as quickly as he dared. By the fourth surge of the curse, Fjord was close to falling into complete unconsciousness again. Molly finally lifted the dagger to reposition the edge directly above Fjord's heart.

"Yasha, pour half of that cup over all of this," he said, gesturing to his artwork without looking up. "Evenly."

Yasha immediately began to drizzle the salty contents of the cup over Fjord's chest and abdomen, being careful to keep her hand steady and the pouring to a trickle. After a few seconds, she had rinsed the entire image in saltwater.

As soon as she stopped pouring, a flick of Molly's wrist made a neat, deep gash on Fjord's chest, which immediately started bleeding onto the floor of the cavern. Molly licked the tip of the dagger, then tossed it aside and took the cup from Yasha with one hand, muttering more words and using the other hand to somatically control and slow the flow of blood from the gash. He placed the edge of the cup against the cut and tipped it upwards, and a large amount of the remaining brine seemed to actually be absorbed into the cut itself.

"Now, the healing potion," Molly said as the cup emptied, and he sat back on his haunches while Jester immediately shoved the small vial into Fjord's limp mouth.

A beat passed, then Caleb asked, "Is it done?""

"It's done." Molly stood up, the flamboyance of his dress at odds with the worried uncertainty written on his face. "Now, we wait."

* * *

Fjord blinked. All around him was dark and cold, and he seemed to be burning from the inside out. But it was a mild burn – almost more of a sting. He shifted around – and slowly realized he was propelling himself with his arms.

Swimming.

He was underwater.

When he had fully turned around, a yellow light began to glow ahead of him.

Larger.

Closer.

Larger.

Brighter.

Becoming familiar.

It was the eye.

It was the same eye he had seen in his dream once before – the one that told him he had potential. This time, it seemed to say nothing; rather, it felt like it was evaluating him again. Sizing him up.

Sizing him up, for a long, long time.

* * *

Seconds ticked by, with every member of the Mighty Nein holding their breath, every eye fixed on Fjord's blood-and-water-soaked unmoving form. No new surges of pain seemed to be sweeping over him, but neither was there any sign of the healing that the potion should be causing.

"Did it work?" Jester asked in a whisper as loud as her normal voice. More seconds ticked by. "Maybe someone should kiss him. That always works in the stories." Nobody moved.

Nott was the first to notice a change. "Look!" she said quietly, pointing to the last, deepest cut on Fjord's chest. "It's changing color!"

And it was. The dark crimson color of the blood that coated the entire pattern of Molly's handiwork was lightening, gradually, to be almost translucent as the fresh wounds continued to seep out lifeforce. It was still red, but not in the thick opaque kind of way that blood generally has. Instead, it was more like water with a few drops of dye added to it.

"I think it may have worked," Molly said, a hint of astonishment creeping into his own voice.

"Now we just wait to see if he wakes up," Caleb added.

Nott made her way slowly to stand above Fjord's head, then bent over so their foreheads were almost touching. Then she suddenly reached out with both hands and alternated light, rapid slaps on either side of his face. "WAKE UP!"

Fjord coughed and spluttered a bit, with some water coming from his mouth as he hoisted himself up to rest on his elbows. Beau, still beside him, reached out to steady him.

"Wha…. Why are you guys all staring at me like that?"

"How do you feel?" Caleb asked.

Jester leaned forward conspiratorially. "Do you feel sloshy? Are you turning into water? Because you did that coughing up water thing again, the one that you did before and really scared the crap out of all of us, only this time it's right after Molly did something about making you all watery inside."

Fjord blinked and looked at Jester, then around at the rest of the team.

"Are you all right?" Caleb asked again.

"I…I think so. You guys wanna tell me what's going on? And what's this about making me watery?"

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Cheers! Reviews appreciated. :)


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